Abstract
Spent tea leaves (STL), a valueless waste produced during the manufacturing of tea beverages, were investigated as a potential low-cost adsorbent for the removal of the azo dyes Reactive Blue 19 (RB19), Reactive Red 120 (RR 120), Reactive Violet 5 (RV5) and Reactive Green 19 (R19) from wastewater. Untreated STL showed very low removal efficiency (< 7%), while a significant increase in dye adsorption was observed when they were thermally activated. Heating STL to 300 °C for 1 hour resulted in removal efficiencies ranging from 68.5 to 98.4%. Characterization of the waste by FTIR and TG/DTA indicated that major structural and/or chemical changes of the cellulose and hemicellulose components of STL occurred during heating.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
